Samsung Galaxy S5: Fitness is the Golden Rule?

It’s THE MOMENT. The Next big thing. Samsung Galaxy S5. Phew! The number of rumours, the number of leaks, the anticipation, the excitement. While there were multiple launches all through the day at MWC 2014, the anticipation for Samsung’s next flagship model surpassed them all. And with the phone finally unveiled, let’s see if it actually lives up to the hype!

And finally, Samsung has ended them all, those leaks. Some rumours lived up to, others discarded, the phone has arrived with a healthy mix. And this time around, Samsung seems to be obsessed with two things: Gold and health. Clearly, the rising gold prices seem to be worming their way into phone manufacturer’s hearts. Can’t afford the lusty metal? Make do with a golden phone! And with the world getting smaller and cuisines intermingling, we see health disorders crop up everyday. Samsung can’t really have people fall sick now, can they? Who’ll buy phones otherwise! So well, health is wealth the fifth time round.

Very honestly there’s nothing impressive about the design here. But we would just have fallen off our chairs had Samsung decided to unveil a completely aesthetic Samsung Galaxy S5. But ask Samsung and they’ll strongly deny the mirror images. ‘We’ve given you an all new back!’. And the new back comes with some sort of a dotted texture in a matte finish. The perforated finish is supposed to help you grip your phone better and also make it ‘shine’. The tall rumours and claims of Samsung Galaxy S5 sporting a new “metallic” look and finish, sincerely wished you were for real. The design is a definite disappointment though the golden hue might enamour a few fanboys. But again, since Apple has done it, why stay behind in the run? Other than the coppery gold shade, Samsung Galaxy S5 comes in Black, White and Blue colours.

The one significant addition is the (surprise!) fingerprint scanner to the home button. Just swipe across the button to register your finger-print scan. You can then unlock the device using just your finger and even make paypal payments directly with just the finger-print scanner. It does eliminate the need for passwords and makes the process easier. Just like the iPhone, Samsung promises that your finger-print scan is saved securely on your phone and never shared.

Samsung has also added an all new ‘Private’ feature or mode to your device. You can hide selective and sensitive data on your phone under the ‘Private’ folder. The folder can be accessed using only your fingerprint. There’s no way anyone can ever hack into your account.

There’s another addition too but this one is more in keeping with the health aspect. Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a heart monitor at the back of the device. The phone supports the S Health 3 app which is Samsung’s health measurement app. Just place your index finger on the heart monitor and the app tells you your heat-beat. A pretty innovative and useful concept. But the only concern we have is the placement… With the monitor located just below the camera, we hope there are no accidental swipes or touches during call.

Coming to the display. Samsung Galaxy S5 will not do you proud. No, honestly, it won’t. The phone does not come with the expected 2k resolution and it is a definite negative for the phone. Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a 5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 3 and a full HD resolution. There’s nothing to write home about here and there’s hardly any difference from Samsung Galaxy S4. The FHD SuperAMOLED display is just run of the mill.

Under the hood of Samsung Galaxy S5 runs a quad core 2.5 GHz processor. A far cry from the octa-core processor in S4, the processor of Samsung Galaxy S5 actually feels like a downgrade. Again, ignoring all rumours, Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with just 2 GB RAM and not 3GB as advertised by almost every leak. The phone will be available in two memory variants: 16 GB and 32 GB and also support an expansion slot for an additional 64 GB. Specifications and hardware are clearly not the stronghold of Samsung Galaxy S5.

But there’s a silver lining. The one thing that’s gotten a boost in the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the camera. The phone now sports a 16 MP rear end snapper and improved video recording with HDR. A first as Samsung prudly claims! A new addition is the world’s fastest auto-focus with a time of just 0.3 seconds. Also, the true-tone (remember Apple, anyone?) HDR improve image clarity and brightness for a cleaner image. The Selective Focus feature is by far our favourite and lets users choose and highlight focus areas effectively blurring the background.

The front camera is still one of the basic versions and comes with a 2 MP resolution. Camera has been the focus for Samsung and the trend is not changing with Samsung Galaxy S5. The dual-shot mode and post-card mode managed to WOW audiences last time around. Will these new features be enough? We don’t really think so. It’s too much hype with too little delivery.

Samsung Galaxy S5 is definitely dust-resistant and water resistant, but only resistant. Dip your phone in water a little too long and you’re going to have to replace it. Samsung Galaxy S5 can survive a short splash but don’t go doing tricks with the device or dunking it in tubs of water.

On the connectivity front, Samsung Galaxy S5 lets you use both LTE and WiFi for speedier downloads. A unique combination and a first. Let’s say we are dutifully impressed. The phone unsurprisingly runs Android KitKat and sports TouchWiz UI on top. With the fingerprint scanner and golden colour, why does it seem like Samsung Galaxy S5 is more about competition with Apple than being the real ‘next big thing’?

Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a 2800 mAh battery. We hear some more groans and disappointments but Samsung has tried to redeem themselves. There’s a Super Battery Saver mode, called the ‘Ultra Battery Saver’ which turns off all mobile features except the basic features like calling and texting. What’s more, even your flashy screen is converted to black and white. Essentially, the mode just converts your “smartphone” to your Nokia 1100. Way to go technology! Sure, using this method, your 10 percent battery power can be extended to a day but then, ever heard of ‘better battery power’ Samsung?

The phone is definitely not a cracker and the specifications, a disappointment. Samsung Galaxy S4 sailed through with the Octa-core processor but the S5 has nothing boast-worthy. The phone is just another run of the mill device and barring some software features, there’s almost every other feature available on devices out there.

Will the golden charm work for Samsung? We think not! Highly, highly disappointing Samsung.